Fire Department

Our Mission To protect the life, property, and environment of our community, neighbors, and guests by delivering
professional life safety and hazard
mitigation services.

The El Mirage Fire Department (EMFD) began in the early 1960s when the citizens recognized the need for fire protection in the community and formed the El Mirage Volunteer Fire Department. As the community continued to grow, so did the fire safety and emergency medical calls for service.

In 1981, the City hired its first full time fire chief, Eddie Rios. As call volume and responsibilities continued to increase, in order to continue to meet the needs of the community, the City transitioned from a volunteer department to a full-time, paid department in 1987.

In 1992, EMFD became a member of the Phoenix Regional Automatic Aid Consortium where all members units and crews are accepted across all City boundaries as equal service levels. The Automatic Aid system is a unique and efficient system that essentially eliminates all jurisdictional boundaries when it comes to emergency response.

All emergency units in the system are tracked by satellite. As a result when a person calls 9-1-1, the “system” identifies the closest appropriate unit to the emergency and dispatches that unit regardless of what city it belongs to. By being a part of this consortium we are not only saving lives and property but also significant tax dollars for the City by not having to duplicate resources. Without such a system the El Mirage Fire Department would need additional personnel and equipment resulting in increased costs to the community.

Today the EMFD responds to nearly 3,000 calls for service annually. We respond to and mitigate a variety of emergency situations including fires, auto accidents, medical emergencies, swift water rescues, and hazardous materials incidents.

When the EMFD members are not responding to emergencies they are busy with on-going training, fire safety inspections, pre-incident planning, public education, hydrant testing, and charitable activities.
The department is staffed with 24 sworn firefighters (8 per shift) who are ready to answer the community’s call for service 24 hours per day, 365 days a year. Two fire suppression vehicles are on duty each staffed with emergency medical technicians and paramedics.

EMFD is presently rated as a fire protection class 3/9 from the Insurance Service Organization.

We recognize that each day we must continue to earn the community’s support, and we are committed to continuing to do so by providing high quality professional fire and life safety and Emergency medical services to this community.

Our responsibilities include:

EMERGENCY SERVICES which is responsible for Emergency Response Services, Operations, Training and Logistics, and

FIRE, BUILDING & LIFE SAFETY which is responsible for processing Building Permits and Plan Review, Inspections, Fire Investigations and Public Education. This division conducts building inspections to ensure safety and monitors code compliance of structures within the city.

Special Announcements

In 2015, fireworks caused an estimated 17,800 reported fires, including 1,200 total structure fires, 400 vehicle fires, and 16,300 outside and other fires. These fires resulted in an estimated eight reported civilian deaths, 40 civilian injuries and $32 million in direct property damage.

In 2016, U.S. hospital emergency rooms treated an estimated 8,700 people for fireworks related injuries; 55% of 2012 emergency room fireworks-related injuries were to the extremities and 31% were to the head.

The risk of fireworks injury was highest for young people ages 15-24, followed by children under 10.

Please observe these safety tips should you choose to purchase and use consumer end fireworks during New Year's celebration.

Only use fireworks outdoors free of overhead obstructions and away from dry grass or other flammable materials.

Obey all local laws regarding the use of fireworks.

Never give fireworks to young children.

Wear safety glasses when shooting fireworks.

Always have a bucket of water, and charged water hose, nearby.

Dispose of spent product by wetting it down and place it in a metal trash can away from any building or combustible materials until morning.